Author: journeyto2020

It’s been almost two years since my last post. Here’s my excuse. Life got in the way. Life was busy with photography. Life was busy with a teenager. Life became surreal due to the political ugliness and the division in our country. My dreams, as I’m sure many of yours, became hard to identify, and sadly became less significant.

The intent of this blog was to follow my daughter on her journey to becoming a young adult, while also sharing my journey in photography. Here’s the update CliffsNotes style: I successfully added “art commissions and installations” to my resume while my daughter moved on to high school and continues to passionately pursue her equestrian goals and dreams.

During the first six months of 2017, I spent a few months in San Francisco rising before dawn to capture the iconic landmarks and the eclectic vibes of our amazing city by the Bay. After a major installation at a VC firm in SOMA in June, it was time for me to take a breather. The timing couldn’t have been better. How could she have possibly turned 15.5?!!! It was learner’s permit time!

As the mother of a teenager with places to go, people to see, and horses to ride (with no access to public transportation … remember, we live on a mountain), I became her private Lyft service and Driver’s Ed teacher. My availability for commissions pretty much became non-existent, however I did sneak in a few mini sessions last Fall. With still a few months to go before her Chapter 16 begins, I continue as driver, but rest assured there is no complaining on my end. I already feel the lump developing in my throat.

2018 has brought an unexplainable, quiet sense of hope and optimism. I’m not exactly sure why or where it’s coming from; perhaps from spending time with my daughter and her pals who exude intelligence, kindness, empathy and the kind of optimism and hope that comes with youth. Whatever the reason, I embrace it. With 2020 only two years away, I have a renewed energy to take this blog on the final leg of the journey.

As for the tree, I have begun a new photo series. I have driven by this tree every day for the past 15 years. I wanted to make a picture on a perfect winter day. I convinced myself for last 15 years that day has never been quite right. Today was different, so I stopped. This image encapsulates the feelings and emotions that filled my 2017, while reminding me that beauty exists and my dreams are still very much intact.

“You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” ~ Max Ehrmann

Portrait Series Documenting the Journey of a Group of Silicon Valley Teens to Graduation in 2020 (and Beyond)

Part 1: “At 13, A Letter to My Future Self”

I have been planning for this photo series for many years and could not wait until the magic number “13”. I wanted to make portraits of my daughter and a group of her peers at the age of 13 and ask them each to write a letter to their future 18 year old self; their 2020 self. However, the project wouldn’t end there. Each participant has agreed to meet me again in 2020 for another portrait/letter session, and perhaps again in 2025.

I began this project last summer, during their 13th year and asked that they write their letter before turning 14. I have known most of these kids since their pre and elementary school days. And, while 7 middle schools, 9 towns, and a countless number of sports teams, music groups and art programs now separate them, they have all remained friends or have become acquaintances. The kids of the Silicon Valley all seem to know one another.

I’m thrilled to introduce this group of teens, each of whom I will have the privilege of documenting with photographs on their journey to 2020. After each child’s name I’ve included one word their parents were asked to use to describe them when they entered preschool. I look forward to watching them grow and witnessing the young adults they will become. Godspeed!

“Truth, like art, is in the eye of the beholder. You believe what you choose and I’ll believe what I know.” ~ Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

For the past few years I’ve had the privilege of photographing public gardens for Horticulture Magazine. My last assignment took me to Alcatraz, the last place you would expect to find beautiful gardens and landscape. Quick history, this maximum federal prison in the San Francisco Bay closed it’s doors in 1963, along with the gardens cultivated by the prison’s inmates. In 2003, the Garden Conservancy, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and National Park Service began a collaboration to restore the gardens.

I was able to capture the images needed for the magazine feature before high sun. With time to spare on the island, we were given a backstage pass to the upper levels of the prison and to the Ai Weiwei exhibit, which was on its last day of viewing.

In the prison, we were ushered to the upper deck of Block C and given access to the lever which secures the entire cell block. Standing in the darkness, the sound of 50 cells slamming shut, with the final latch of the deadbolt, is a sound you want to quickly erase from your tape. I took a moment to stand inside a cell and decided to capture a few images looking out and across the aisle. Clearly, this place was designed to house the worse of the worst.

The bonus of the visit was the Ai Weiwei @Large exhibit. We happened to be on the island on the last day of the Exhibit and our host generously walked us through. “Ai Weiwei is a Chinese Contemporary artist and activist. A political activist, he has been highly and openly critical of the Chinese Government’s stance on democracy and human rights. After many arrests and incarcerations in China, Ai Weiwei was, in July of 2015, given a passport and is now allowed to travel abroad. If you are interested and would like to learn more about Ai Weiwei and his art, this is a wonderful article. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/24/ai-weiwei-alcatraz-lego-extraordinary

If you have a bird phobia, you’ll want to make note that Alcatraz is a nesting colony for Western Gulls. There were a few Hitchcock moments.

Without further ado, here are my favorite images from Pier 33 to Alcatraz and back. Enjoy! ✌🏾

“May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong and may you stay forever young.” ~ Bob Dylan

It is the eve of her birth, thirteen years later. In documenting our journey, I will tell you she sits upstairs as I type this post, in her newly updated “teenage” bedroom, FaceTiming (is that a word?) with her girlfriends. “We’re doing homework, Mom.” Basically, “beat it”!

B and I are reminiscing, as we do every year about this evening 13 years ago; the dinner party with our best friends, Joe and Teresa. Bets were on. Joe says, “she’s going to have that baby tonight”. Bryan says, “nah, we’re 3 weeks out, let’s break out this yummy bottle of Monticello”. So they did. They partied on and I went to bed. Joe almost won the bet and Bryan paid the price of a red wine hangover at 3:00 a.m. with the Bean on the way. She arrived in perfect form. As I stared at this little, almost alien looking being in my arms, all I could think about were the words of our French amnio technician telling us at 16 weeks when we asked if he knew what it was. He a said, “IT is a girl, and she’s going to be a handful!!” I emphasize he is French, because it’s sounds so much better with his accent. Go ahead, say it with a French accent … much better, right?!

In all seriousness and I know I’ve said this before, I often wonder how it came to be that I was so lucky to get you, Aya Bean. You are truly an amazing human being; you are kind, you are generous, you are loving, you are fierce and courageous, you care and are considerate, you love nature, you love animals, you love your friends and are interested, you are joyful and honest.

and, Happy Birthday, Ed, the other love of our lives and the Bean’s best friend (the guy in the first picture). I can’t wait to see where the journey takes the two of you. She’s a lucky girl to have you in her life ❤️❤️

While it seemed like spring arrived in NoCal months ago, the rest of the country is finally starting to see the signs of warmer temps with blossoms blooming. Spring has officially sprung! So let’s party!

Last spring I had the privilege of shooting two of the most prestigous public gardens in California for Horticulture Magazine; Hakone Gardens and Filoli. Both gardens are located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains, to which I call home. Filoli is a country house with 16 acres of formal gardens surrounded by a 654-acre estate, located in Woodside, CA. Filoli has served as the set for many Hollywood films. Many of you will recognize it as the mansion seen in the opening credits of the television series Dynasty. Hakone Gardens is a traditional Japanese garden in Saratoga, California. It is recognized as one of the oldest Japanese-style residential garden in the Western Hemisphere. I believe Hakone served as set for the films Snow Falling on Cedars and Memoirs of a Geisha.

When my journey as a professional photographer began, my lens focused primarily on landscapes and flowers. Over a decade later, I am a lucky girl to have been able to maintain this focus while adding a few other ingredients to my repertoire. For those of you who need a dose of spring, take a few minutes and take a virtual walk through these breathtaking gardens. 🌸

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The last few months have seen a flurry of photo sessions of many flavors leaving little time to work on my blog or my art photography. 2014 was very good to me professionally, so, this is not a complaint. I intended to take the month of January to get back to my blog and art, however, ended up taking on two projects that, once again, put everything back on the shelf.

I have been seeking inspiration and feeling the need for a new perspective. A new path, if you will, for the next steps on my journey. I thought my trip back to my hometown in the Ohio river valley would do the trick. With railroad tracks on my mind, my goal was set – a cold, grey day on the old, rusty rails in my small town. I envisioned capturing haunting images of the overgrowth and the deteriorating trestle over the little river. The best laid plans. The overgrown tracks were gone, apparently replaced long ago with a bike trail and the trestle most likely collapsed into the river long before the bike trail came to town. I got one thing right, it was cold and grey. My camera stayed snuggly in it’s bag, I didn’t venture out once, and somehow I caught flu. I came home sick and uninspired.

Fast forward to yesterday. With the hope of a new vision or direction still looking bleak, an artist friend and I went to visit some galleries in San Francisco in preparation of an Open Studio this spring that will feature her paintings and my photography. First stop, an old coffee shop on the pier. As I sat with my coffee looking out the window of the empty cafe, I felt the first hint of an inspirational wave approaching. Before me, the perfect vision out of the dirty old window. As if the Bay Bridge was painted on canvas. Snap. As we waited for the curator to welcome us to the gallery, I turned to take in the Bay between two old warehouses. Below me, above the water of the Bay were the rusty, overgrown tracks of some railroad of long ago. Built on a trestle, these tracks came out of nowhere below and reached into the Bay, disappearing into the grey morning fog. This remarkable and eerily beautiful sight, presenting as if it was staged exclusively for me. Perhaps it is true. I am a child of the universe and the universe is unfolding as it should. I didn’t need to travel 2,000 miles to find my inspiration, 20 miles was enough. The universe conspired to make it happen. Snap.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~ John Muir

My daughter’s school offers an elective course in sustainable gardening in their curriculum. Their teacher, Hovey Clark, is passionate about gardening, the food it generates and the healthy lifestyle it affords. The Class of 2020 began working in the garden during their first year at Priory and now, as seventh graders, have become pros at cultivating, growing and sustaining this massive garden. The garden is known as The Franklin Garden, situated at the back of the school’s property in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains in Portola Valley.

As you can imagine, this, for me is photographer bliss and allows me to keep my blog post 100% on point (photographing the stuff that put me on the map, so to speak, with the 2020 kids. The kids of Priory participated in preparing The Franklin Garden for this amazing evening of food, wine and music with great friends, inspirational monks, talented gardeners and chefs and, of course, awesome musicians (one of whom is also a Priory teacher). I’m not sure, but, when the band started playing The Doors, it just added an additional layer of cool to the event.